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Hicks to recommend school closures at Monday meeting

BCPS closures: The top contenders

Consultants and teachers have issued their own recommendations on which Battle Creek elementary schools should be closed. Here's a look at the schools named for potential closure, and a look at the consultants' data.

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Enquirer file

Candidate No. 1

Coburn

The 21,087-square-foot building at 39 Fairhome was built in 1949 and additions were made in 1955. It has 12 classrooms and in fall 2014, served 234 students. Consultants said while it "has the 'appearance' of a neighborhood school," it also suffers from security issues and needs major infrastructure upgrades. Based on the capacity of rooms it currently uses for classroom instruction, it could have 261 students; with additional room use, it could house 313. Consultants named Coburn as a candidate for closure.

2014-15 salaries and benefits, using two teachers with lowest seniority: $422,528

Costs: $494,966

Estimated savings if closed: $467,590

Cost per square foot: $97

Building utilization: 89.7% with current classrooms; 74.8% with room changes

Recommended improvement costs: $2,054,549

Percentile ranking (labeled a priority school if 5% or below): 8%

(You can read consultants' full study on facility utilization here and its facility assessment here.)

Enquirer file

Candidate No. 2

Dudley

The 26,279-square-foot building at 308 W. Roosevelt St. was built in 1954, with additions made in 1965. It has 17 classrooms in fall 2014, served 188 students. The building is structurally sound and has land available for site improvements but still needs infrastructure upgrades, consultants said. Based on the capacity of rooms it currently uses for classroom instruction, it could have 261 students; with additional room use, it could house 443. Consultants named Dudley as a candidate for closure.

2014-15 salaries and benefits, using two teachers with lowest seniority: $467,525

Costs: $520,451

Estimated savings if closed: $499,860

Cost per square foot: $108

Building utilization: 72% with current classrooms; 42.4% with room changes

Recommended improvement costs: $2,845,950

Percentile ranking (labeled a priority school if 5% or below): 1%

(You can read consultants' full study on facility utilization here and its facility assessment here.)

Enquirer file

Candidate No. 3

Fremont

It has 15 classrooms and in fall 2014, served 290 students. Consultants noted no positive facility features and said the building needs power, data and lighting infrastructure upgrades, as well as upgrades to architectural and electrical infrastructure. Based on the capacity of rooms it currently uses for classroom instruction, it could have 314 students; with additional room use, it could house 392. Teachers named Fremont as a candidate for closure.

2014-15 salaries and benefits, using two teachers with lowest seniority: $383,726

Costs: $445,252

Estimated savings if closed: $422,197

Cost per square foot: $81

Building utilization: 92.4% with current classrooms; 74% with room changes

Recommended improvement costs: $2,954,745

Percentile ranking (labeled a priority school if 5% or below): 1%

(You can read consultants' full study on facility utilization here and its facility assessment here.)

Enquirer file

Candidate No. 4

LaMora Park

The 27,126-square-foot building at 65 N. Woodlawn Ave. was built in 1954, with additions made in 1958. It has 19 classrooms and in fall 2014, served 195 students. The building has been generally well-maintained, consultants said, but still needs major infrastructure upgrades and is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Based on the capacity of rooms it currently uses for classroom instruction, it could have 233 students; with additional room use, it could house 493. Consultants named LaMora as a candidate for closure.

2014-15 salaries and benefits, using two teachers with lowest seniority: $459,760

Costs: $511,362

Estimated savings if closed: $491,275

Cost per square foot: $102

Building utilization: 83.7% with current classrooms; 39.6% with room changes

Recommended improvement costs: $2,776,550

Percentile ranking (labeled a priority school if 5% or below): 29%

(You can read consultants' full study on facility utilization here and its facility assessment here.)

UrbandaleEnquirer file

Candidate No. 5

Urbandale

The 38,744-square-foot building at 123 N. Bedford Road was built in 1941, with additions made in 1950 and 1951. It has 20 classrooms and in fall 2014, served 341 students. The building appears structurally sound and has a well-maintained mechanical system, consultants said, but has limited site availability and is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Based on the capacity of rooms it currently uses for classroom instruction, it could have 392 students; with additional room use, it could house 496. Teachers named Urbandale as a candidate for closure.

2014-15 salaries and benefits, using two teachers with lowest seniority: $386,433

Costs: $448,988

Estimated savings if closed: $424,769

Cost per square foot: $75

Building utilization: 87% with current classrooms; 68.8% with room changes

Recommended improvement costs: $2,942,050

Percentile ranking (labeled a priority school if 5% or below): 8%

(You can read consultants' full study on facility utilization here and its facility assessment here.)

At a March 30 meeting with parents, Superintendent Linda Hicks outlines the reasons for the need for possible closures within Battle Creek Public Schools. She is expected to make a recommendation to the Board of Education during a special meeting Monday.(Photo: Enquirer file)

Superintendent Linda Hicks is expected to recommend elementary school closings to the Battle Creek Board of Education on Monday night.

The discussion will be part of a special meeting at 6 p.m. at Battle Creek Central High School's McQuiston Center, 100 W. Van Buren St. The seven-member board isn't scheduled to take action until its regular meeting a week later, at 7 p.m. Monday, April 20. That meeting also will be held at the McQuiston Center.

The district has hired consultants and assembled a committee made of staff members to consider over several months which elementary schools should close. Birmingham-based firm Rahmberg, Stover and Associates recommended in a January report that as many as two schools shut down, naming LaMora Park, Coburn and Dudley as the top candidates.

The staff committee has recommended that two other schools close — Fremont and Urbandale. It used an architectural report prepared by consultants and prepared a rubric to evaluate the buildings before voting on its recommendation.

Hicks has not disclosed her own recommendation. In sessions with parents in late March, she pointed to the district's struggles with decreasing student enrollment and revenue. It projects a $643,100 shortfall this fiscal year because it lost more students than anticipated; the district has seen a 22.4 percent enrollment decline in the past seven years. Elementary enrollment has dropped 17 percent.

The projected cost savings for closing a elementary school is about $500,000, although the number varies among the buildings.